How long does it take to buy an Estonian company?

In short: the law fixes only two points of the timetable. The notary who authenticates the transfer of a share sends the notice of it to the commercial register within two days, and the transfer is deemed to have taken place when the entry is made in the register (Commercial Code § 149). Everything before that — your documents, customer due diligence, the notary's appointment and, on the remote route, the power of attorney — takes as long as it takes you and the offices involved. This page therefore states no total number of days.

What the law and the authorities fix

• Notice to the register: within two days after the notary has authenticated the transfer (Commercial Code § 149(4)).
• When you are the owner: the transfer is deemed to have taken place as of the entry in the list of shareholders in the commercial register (Commercial Code § 149(4¹)).
• VAT registration, if the company has no VAT number yet: the Tax and Customs Board decides within five working days; it may ask for more information about the planned business before it decides.
• EORI number: usually issued within a few business days after the application.
• LEI code: usually issued within one to three business days by the issuer.

What decides the rest of the time

1. Your order and your details. The order form takes a few minutes; the company, the buyer and the board member are named there.
2. Customer due diligence. As a provider licensed by the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU000117) we identify every buyer before the transfer. It moves as fast as the identity document, the proof of address and the answers arrive; if something is missing, we tell you exactly what, and a company you have reserved stays reserved meanwhile.
3. In person or remote. In person you sign at the notary's appointment in Tallinn. On the remote route you first sign a power of attorney before a notary in your own country — as a rule with an apostille, which is not needed when it is signed in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland or Ukraine — and send it to Estonia.
4. The notary's appointment and the authentication of the transfer.
5. The register entry on the notary's notice, and the company documents by email.

Why a ready-made company is the short route

A ready-made company already exists: it has its registry code and its registration date, and a company bought with a VAT number has that too. Only the transfer has to be done. A new company adds the steps of a formation — the check of the business name, the articles of association and the registration itself, which is decided by the registration department — and, if it needs a VAT number, the separate decision of the Tax and Customs Board. See ready-made or new company.

Documents that keep the timetable short

• a valid passport or ID card and proof of address of the board members and beneficial owners, sent together;
• on the remote route: the power of attorney in the form we send you, signed before a notary and, where needed, apostilled — see power of attorney and apostille.

Prices

The route does not change what is included, only the price: in person €900 or, with a VAT number, €1,150; remote by power of attorney €1,200 or €1,450. The Estonian notary fees and state fees, the registered address and the contact person for the first 12 months are in the price; on the remote route the sworn translation of the power of attorney in Estonia is included too, and you pay only for signing it in your own country.

What this page does not promise

• a date: the notary, the register, the Tax and Customs Board and a bank each decide in their own time, and we cannot speed up their decisions;
• a bank or payment account by a certain day: banks and payment institutions decide on onboarding themselves;
• a VAT number for a company bought without one: the Tax and Customs Board decides on the registration.

Related service

The six steps of the purchase are on the ready-made company page; companies that can be transferred now are on the list of companies for sale; what to do afterwards is in the checklist for the first weeks.

Official sources

• Commercial Code § 149 — Riigi Teataja, the Estonian State Gazette;
• registration as a VAT payer — Estonian Tax and Customs Board;
• apostille and the countries where it is not needed — Estonian Chamber of Notaries;
• the register itself — e-Business Register.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice for your specific situation.

Frequently asked questions